Read Online No Christmas Like the Present by Sierra Donovan - Free Book Online

if he ever really needed to walk anywhere. He wore the same overcoat and bright red scarf he’d worn yesterday morning, and his face exuded friendly cheer as he smiled at Jeanne. Lindsay’s heart did a flip of its own accord; she’d been seeing him all afternoon, but her mind’s eye hadn’t done him justice. Hard to believe he was here because she’d lost a bet.
    No, no, no. Two days ago you thought he was a figment of your imagination.
    A gorgeous figment.
    â€œHe wouldn’t dare,” Fred said to Jeanne. Utter disbelief shimmered in his eyes. “If he starts a row with you before December twenty-fourth, you let me know. I’ll have a word with him.”
    His glance went to the doorway, where Lindsay stood. And stayed there. His smile didn’t widen; it deepened, with undisguised pleasure at seeing her. He straightened from his half-leaning posture. “Lindsay.”
    Even her name sounded unusually beautiful to her. How was she supposed to act rational around a man like that?
    Lindsay’s eyes went to the last fragment of fudge in his hand. “That was my last piece.” If it were anyone else, she would have wondered how he found it.
    â€œYour last piece? It’s my first.” He blinked in wounded innocence. “You made me leave before it was ready to eat. Wait four hours to let it cool? Sadistic.” He popped the small remainder of the fudge into his mouth.
    Jeanne stared at her. “He helped you make it? And you didn’t let him have any? ”
    Great. Now she was a Christmas-hating, fudge-hoarding hag. “I had cards to do.”
    â€œI offered to help with the cards. But no matter.” Fred tossed the crumpled, empty coffee filter into her trash basket and turned that encompassing gaze on her once more. “I like your earrings.”
    The little candy canes. No one else had noticed; she’d almost forgotten about them.
    â€œI know I’m a little early,” he said. “I thought it would be best to get a good head start.”
    â€œI can’t leave early, I came in late—”
    â€œPhil said it was all right.”
    He’d cleared it with Phil? Lindsay glanced at Jeanne, whose raised eyebrows mirrored her own, then back at Fred. “You could sell ashes to the devil, couldn’t you?”
    â€œMaybe,” he said lightly. “But why would I want to?” Jeanne laughed, but Lindsay wasn’t sure whether or not it was a joke.
    â€œWell, I’ll let you two get going.” Jeanne edged out of the room with a knowing smile. “Have fun.”
    These little blue-walled cubicles had never been roomy, but now, alone with Fred, the space seemed especially tight. Lindsay felt unaccountably shy, and far too aware that just a few feet separated them. They’d spent hours alone in her apartment yesterday, where they hadn’t had an office full of people just a tottering partition away, but this felt different. More confining, maybe, and something about that seemed to pull her toward him.
    Lindsay searched for somewhere else to look, and her eyes fell on the calendar on the wall next to her. December nineteenth. Only six more days to get everything done.
    â€œYou have reminders of time everywhere, don’t you?” Fred moved toward her. “You’re always worried about what’s ahead. What you need to concentrate on is now. Otherwise you’ll miss it.” He reached into his overcoat pocket. “Here. You’ll want this, where we’re going.”
    Fred pulled out another scarf, this one red and white, and draped it lightly over her shoulders. He drew her hair out from under the scarf, the warmth of his fingers lightly brushing the back of her neck. Lindsay fought back a pleasant shudder.
    Fred’s fingers lingered in her hair before he let it fall back into place, his expression unusually serious. His face was close to hers as he went through the motions of